STORY: Iran's right to enrich uranium must be respected for nuclear talks with the U.S. to succeed, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday.
He made the comment two days after U.S. and Iranian teams held indirect talks in Oman aimed at reviving diplomacy.
Addressing Iran's foreign policy congress, Araqchi said he told the American diplomats, "There is no other option but to negotiate."
He added that the two sides need to "focus on discussions that accept enrichment inside Iran while building trust that enrichment is and will stay for peaceful purposes."
:: February 7, 2026
Tehran has vowed a harsh response if attacked, amid a U.S. naval buildup near Iran.
:: January 30, 2026
And after these comments from U.S. President Donald Trump:
"We have a large armada flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now, even larger than what we had in Venezuela."
Iran and the U.S. held five rounds of nuclear talks last year, which stalled mainly due to disagreements over uranium enrichment.
:: 2026 Planet Labs PBC
Recent satellite imagery shows new roofs at two Iranian nuclear facilities after they were struck by the U.S. in June last year.
Tehran said after the strikes that it had halted enrichment activity, which the U.S. views as a possible pathway to nuclear bombs.
:: Released February 6, 2026
Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Both sides have signaled readiness to revive diplomacy in the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.
:: Released January 10, 2026
Though Washington wants to expand the talks to cover Iran's "treatment of their own people", after recent nationwide protests were repressed in the most violent crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
It also wants to add Iran's ballistic missiles and support for armed groups to the agenda, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Iran says putting its missile program on the negotiating table would leave it vulnerable to Israeli attacks.
